Wire processing and storage container



Jan. 20, 1959 E. J. HUBBARD WIRE PROCESSING AND STORAGE CONTAINER 3Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 17, 1955 [liven/bf EBER J HuBaARo Jan. 20,1959 E. J. HUBBARD 2,369,719

WIRE PROCESSING AND STORAGE CONTAINER Filed Aug. 17, 1955 v sSheets-Sheet 2 Oil.

Jan. 20, 1959 E. J. HUBBARD 2,869,719

WIRE PROCESSING AND STORAGE CONTAINER Filed Aug. 17, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet3 ZZZ.

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EBER J. HUBBARD United States Patent ice 2,869,719 WIRE PROCESSING ANDSTORAGE CONTAINER Eber J. Hubbard, Fort Wayne, Ind., assignor to HubbardSpool Company, Garrett, Ind., a corporation of Illinois ApplicationAugust 17, 1955, Serial No. 529,023

1 Claim. (Cl. 206-1) The present invention relates to apparatus forcollecting, storing and dispensing ferrous or non-ferrous wire duringthe processing thereof. More particularly, the present invention isconcerned with the provision of a novel and substantially improvedcontainer for wire.

It has, for many years, been the practice of those manufacturing wire tocoil this wire loosely into a generally circular coil as it left thewire drawing dies. This method of storage necessitated a certain amountof manual handling of the coil, ordinarily resulting in fingerprints andhence surface corrosion. Additionally, the storage of wire in loosecoils was found unsatisfactory since it frequently became snarled andtangled, making uncoiling extremely difficult. Various means have, in

the past, been suggested for overcoming the difficulties surrounding thetechnique of loose coiling. These improvements have, to my knowledge,however, for the most part comprised coiling the wire in some mannerupon a spool or reel.

The coiling of hot wire upon a spool or reeloperating at substantiallyroom temperature, has provided serious drawbacks. In the first place, ithas been found that upon cooling, the wire has shrunk to an extentsufiicient to permanently deform the core of the spool or reel. Inaddition to such radial inwardly acting destructive forces, theshrinking of the wire upon cooling also tended to draw outer layers ofwire into mesh with layers immediately thereunder with a resultingtendency to spread the inner layers of wire axially of the spool orreel. Such spreading provides a tremendous bursting pressure tending toforce the end plates of the spool or reel apart. Even in cases in whichthe bursting pressures did not exceed the strength of the spool, thewedging action caused such a tight wrapping of the wire about the spoolthat uncoiling the wire oftentimes constituted a diificult step.

The present invention relates to apparatus for the .collecting of wireas it leaves a drawing die or other manu facturing step and forconfining the wire in a relatively loose state and in untangled mannerfor future processing steps, shipment to a user or for final uncoilingand use. The invention comprises a winding pack formed of concentricdrums secured at one end to a base member. The endof a wireto becollected is directed into the space between the concentric drums andthe wire following is loosely laid upon the first end of the wire in aneat stack determined by the confines of the concentric walls. Since thecoiling operation does not entail a stretching or snug contact betweenthe wire and the innermost drum it has been found that shrinkage takingplace subsequent to the drawing operation is sufliciently small toprevent the application of any inwardly directed radial forces againstthe inner drum or core. Further, the loose coiling provided by thestructure of the present invention prevents work hardening of the wireupon shrinking and additionally renders the pack an unusually efficientapparatus for subsequent processing steps r 2,869,719 Patented J an."20, I 1 959 2 requiring uniform heating or any other treatment in whichthe surface of the wire is substantially completely exposed fortreatment. l

It has also been found that since the wire being stored is looselycoiled between a .pair of circular confining walls rather than woundupon a circular drum, the drum or container need not be rotated, or ifrotated neednot be rotated at a velocity sufficient to maintain the wireunder tension. As a result of this, inertia forces ordinarily presentedin winding apparatus have become insignificant and do not affect thewinding operation. Accordingly, Winding apparatus may besubstantially'less expensive and without the ordinary brakes, accuratelycontrolled drum rotating apparatus and other equipment heretoforeconsidered necessary for satisfactory, snarl free, winding.

In accordance with the principles of the present invention, a pair ofconcentric drums aresecured to a base in any convenient manner. While itis clear that various materials may be utilized for such a container,where it it desired that the materials be subsequently annealed orfurther processed at relatively high temperatures, it is preferred thatthe entire container be constructed of metal, such as steel, and thatits surfaces be perforate to permit the ready circulation of cooling airor annealing atmosphere. The base of the container is placed on a pairof channels of suflicient depth to permit the transportation of thecontainers by lift truck or the like with the drums in an uprightposition in which the longitudinal axis is substantially vertical.

It is, accordingly, an object of the present invention to provide asimple yet unusually effective container for the collection, storageanddispensing of wire. H

Another object of the present invention is to provide a container forwire or the like capable of storing extremely long lengths withoutencountering problems of inertia, collapse of the internal surface ofthe container, or snarling.

Still a further object of the present invention is to provide avertically filled wire coiling and storage unit.

A feature of the invention is the provision of a wire container havinginner and outer cylindrical wallsurfaces between which wire or the likeis positioned.

Another feature of the invention resides in utilization of a perforatecontainer capable of firmly confining a wire material, or the like andat the same time providing for the rapid passage ofcirculating.atmosphere therethrough. t

Still a further object of the present invention is to provide animproved wire container capable of storing fast moving, hot, wirewithout manual handling and without requiring high speed rotation of thecontainer with accessory apparatus for controlling such rotation.

Still other and further objects of the present invention will at oncebecome apparent to those skilled in the art from a consideration of theattached drawings wherein a preferred form of the invention is shown byWay of illustration only and wherein:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a first formof a container constructedaccording to the present invention;

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II of Figurel;

Figure 3 is a side elevational view in section of a modified form of thepresent invention;

Figure 4- is a cross-sectional IV--lV of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a side elevational view in cross-section of still anothermodified form of the invention; and

Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VIVI of Figure4.

As shown on the drawings:

As described above, the container of the present invenview taken alongline 'tionis constructed for use during manufacturing processes as wellas a "storage container. As those familiar with the manufacture of wire,both of the ferrous and non-ferrous types, are aware, this product maybecome work hardened to a substantial degree during rolling and drawingoperations. Accordingly, for some uses in which .a' soft final productis required, annealing is essential after the drawing operations arecompleted. Eventhough it is desired that the finished product have .-acertain degree of hardness, it is sometimes found necessary to anneal asan intermediate step between series of drawing operations. Sinceannealing operations require temperatures "far in excess of the burningpoint of wood material-s, containers constructed in accordance with thepresent invention and which are intended for use throughout the processof manufacturing wire, will preferably he constructed entirely of steelor other non-combustible material. However, it will be understood thatfor purposes of storing wire prior to shipment, as well as for sh pmentitself in some cases, and also for storage of the w-xreduring certainlow temperature treatments, wood or similar combustib e materials mav beutilized. Such a combus ible structure is shown in Fi ures 1 and '2.

As illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, the container constructed accordingto the present invention comprises an outer cvlindrical drum and aninner c re or drum 11 preferab y constructed of sheet steel. The upperends of the drums 10 and 11 are preferabl spun over as at 12 and 13. resective y, to provide riciditv and to provide a smooth surface f r thecoiling operation. The outer drum 10 is inwardly flan ed as at 15 forrigid association with n annu ar base plate 16. The flange 15 is shownbolted to the base plate 16 by bolts 17 but it will be understo d thatthese arts may be we ded toge her if preferred. The base plate 1-6 is inturn Welded as at 18 "to the inner drum 11. The entire assembled outerand inner drum struc ure .is reinforced by a heavy plywood b se ate 19secured to the base late '16 by the bolts 17. The ates 16 and 19 arerigidly secured to a pair of srmnorting timbers, such as for example 2 x4s, by nails 21 p ssing throu h the plates 16 and 19. It will, ofcourse, be apparent that lag screws or similar threaded sec-urine meansma be utilized for th s purpose.

As above described. the container utilizing wood as a portion of thebase and the support runners is particularlv satisfactory for use withconventional lift trucks, the forks of which may be inserted under thebase 19. The use of wood in the surfaces contacting the forks of thelift truck provides a unit having utmost impact resistance and at thesame time provides for very quiet hand ing. It has been found that thewood is extremely resistant to impact shocksand acts to protect the baseof thedrum generally against denting and breakage dur- 111g movement ofthe drum in a loaded condition.

Of course, ultimate deterioration of the wood is remedied through thesimple operation of replacement, which replacement requires no weldingor other similar speciall'ized skill.

Drums of the type herein under consideration are constructed forcontinuous use and preferably are accordingly relatively heavy gaugemetal. For example, it has been found satisfactory to utilize 14 gaugesheet steel for the outside drum 1t) .and somewhat lighter 16 gaugesheet steel for the inner drum 11 where the over-all drum diameter is'20 inches and the inner drum diameter is approximately 12 inches.

In operation, wire is coiled into the space between drums 1 0 and 11.while the drums stand in a vertical position. This coiling operation maybe accomplished by various means, which do not form a part of thepresent invention. All such means, however, are designed to loosely coilthe wire, thus filling the space between drums 1t] and 11 in successivelayers lying on the base 16 rather than successive layers wound aboutthe inner drum 11. As. a'result of this loose winding, and a tendency offil e Wi o expand if permitted, themajcr load, aside from the weight ofthe wire itself, is applied to the outer drum 1-0 in a radially outwarddirection. Since acy-lindrical structure of rigid material hastremendous resistance against radially outwardly directed distortion, ithas been found that the present container is extremely durable and farmore satisfactory for the storage of wire than the heretofore usedspools in which wire was tightly wound about the central drum and forcesexerted during cooling rapidly deteriorated and often ruined completelythe inner drum or core and hence the entire container.

The container above described is unsuitable for use where it is desiredthat the wire be heat treated subsequent to its storage. in :suchheating operations .the wood parts would, of course, be destroyed. Thecontainer of the present invention is, however, fully applicable to.

containers to be used during subsequent heating operations. For suchprocessing, it is preferred that the use of Wood be entirely eliminatedand also that the inner and outer drums, 'as'well as the base, beconstructed of perforate material.

In the modified form shown in Figures 3 and 4 the outer drum 11d and theinner drum 111 are provided with a plurality of pierced apertures 116aand 111a respectively. Likewise, the base of the container isconstructcd of a single piece of heavy stamped sheet metal, indicated at116 having apertures 117 therein. The base plate 116 is upwardly flangedas at 116a and 11Gb for welded cooperation with the respective drums and111. Container supports 12% are constructed of box sections of steel inorder to provide satisfactory strength with a minimum weight. It will beunderstood, however, that in certain installations it may be desirableto utilize rolled steel I-oearns for the supports 12% and such a.variation is, of course, considered within the scope of the presentinvention.

Where the container is to be utilized with relatively light weight wireor the like, the 14 gauge sheet metal utilized in the outer drum, asabove described, is entirely adequate without reinforcing. However, insome installations it may be found desirable to utilize external axialbracing in connection with the outer drum. such cases a plurality ofvertical angle iron braces 121 may be welded axially to the drum 110 andsecured by welding or bolts at its opposite ends to the base flange 116aand the upper edge reinforcing angle iron rim 122. As shown in Figure 3,the vertical braces 121 may be provided with apertures 123 forsupporting the container from an overhead crane or the like.

It will, of course, be apparent that the above described modified formof the invention may be utilized throughout the processing of wire,including heat treating steps. By providing a large number of aperturesin all the sheet metal confining surfaces proper circulation of hot airor other treating medium is assured.

A processing container having high rigidity and a maximum of ventilationis illustrated in Figures 5 and '6. As there shown, the outer and innerdrums are constructed of vertically extending members secured at theiropposite ends to a base member and to a top edge reinforcing channel.Thus, the outer drum 210 maybe constructed of a plurality ofperipherally spaced angle iron rod members 219a and the innerdrumgenerally indicated at 211 is constructed of a plurality ofperipherally spaced rod members 211a. A one-piece base 216 is providedwith an upwardly turned peripheral flange 216a for welded cooperationwith the angle iron members 210a and is provided with a circular seriesof apertures 2162) through which the lower ends of the rod members 211aproject: for threaded cooperation with nuts 21%. Stop nuts .2110 areprovided on the rods 211a for locating the rods rela tive to't'ne baseplate 216. The base plate 216 is, of course, preferably provided with aplurality of apertures 216d so that air or-fiuid may pass up ordownthrough the plate. The angle irons 210a cooperate with acircularlypfcrmed angl i on edg defin ng strap ,2 an

are welded thereto to provide a rigid assembly. Likewise, the rods 211.are preferably welded to a similar peripheral edge defining member 223.If desired, a reinforcing hoop 224 may be Welded to each of the barmembers 210a to prevent radial outward deformation thereof but it willbe understood that the angle iron cross-section of these membersprovides sufficient rigidity for ordinary industrial use. In themodification shown in Figures 5 and 6, an overhead crane may be securedby apertures 225 in the vertical bar members 2101;, or, alternatively,may be hooked under the upper edge defining rim 222 between adjacentverticai bar members 2100.

In the embodiment shown in Figures 5 and 6, vertical legs 226 areutilized in place of the wood or steel runners shown in Figures 1, 2 and3. These legs may be fitted with casters 227 where it is desired thatthe container be moved from place to place by hand and relatively smoothfloor surfaces are available. As may be seen, the legs 226 are spacedsulficiently far apart to permit the use of a lift truck in theconventional manner with the forks projecting between the legs under thebase plate.

As above noted, the container constructed in accordance with the presentinvention provides a far superior container for the processing of wireand like goods. In view of the fact that the wire is loosely coiledwithin the container subsequent contraction of the Wire is insufficientto cause buckling of the inner or central drum. Further, wire may beloaded from the top end of the container without the need for traversingor level line mechanism heretofore used with spools, without the need ofloading, tensioning mechanism and without any need for rotating the drumat a speed to maintain the wire taut. For unloading the container it maybe desired to provide a tensioning mechanism geared to the top edge ofthe inner drum 111 and 211. Such tension apparatuses per se areconventional and this mechanism forms no part of the present inventionexcept in that it is here utilized with a loosely coiled wire strand forwithdrawing of the wire rather than in loading the wire.

While the containers illustrated in Figures 1 through 6 embodycylindrical inner and outer drums, it will be understood that for easeof handling the coiled wire in placing it in the container or removingit therefrom, the inner and outer drums may taper slightly away fromeach other to provide a somewhat wider storage annulus at the top of thecontainer than at the bottom. Thus, the outer drum may diverge slightlyoutwardly from the base plate of the container while the inner drum mayconverge slightly inwardly from the base plate of the container as itapproaches the top edge of the container. Such an arrangement willminimize sticking between certain metallic wires and the innerperipheral surface of the outer drum.

It will thus be seen that I have provided a novel and substantiallyimproved container for the storage of wire or like products and Which iscapable of holding substantially greater amounts of Wire than previousspool constructions and which is at the same time not subject tocollapse due to wire shrinkage. Further, in view of the looseconfinement of the Wire heat treatment and other process steps may beundertaken while the wire is in the container without damage to thecontainer resulting from either the excessive temperature or from theexpansion characteristics of the Wire material when heated. It will beapparent to those skilled in the art that variations and modificationsmay be made in accordance with the principles of the present inventionwithout departing from the scope of the novel concepts thereof.Accordingly, it is my intention that the scope of the present inventionbe limited solely by that of the hereinafter appended claims.

1 claim as my invention:

A processing and storage container for wire or the like comprising afirst substantially cylindrical perforate steel drum, a secondsubstantially cylindrical perforate steel drum nested within said firstdrum, a perforated steel base member rigidly secured to said drums atone end thereof only providing an open-ended annular storage spacebetween said drums, the open end of said first drum having an outwardlyextending annular reinforcing flange and the open end of said seconddrum having an inwardly extending annular reinforcing bead, andtransversely spaced hollow block-like steel support members secured tothe bottom of said base for maintaining said base in a position spacedabove a supporting surface for cooperation with the lifting forks of alift truck or the like and to provide for circulation of fluid aroundmaterial in said storage space.

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